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Walgreen Co. has announced plans to build a new distribution facility in Anderson County, S.C., at the Alliance Industrial Park. Walgreens has a contract on a 110-acre site in the park. About 450 employees are expected to be hired initially for the center, and employment will grow as the facility serves more stores. When it opens, the center is expected to serve 200 to 250 stores in eight states throughout the South and Mid-Atlantic areas. Walgreens is investing more than $175 million in the project. Officials from Anderson County, the State of South Carolina and several local economic development organizations joined in a collaborative effort to attract Walgreens to the area. Site work on the property is expected to begin in late summer 2004, with a planned opening in 2007. The facility�s size will be about 700,000 square feet, with the capability for future expansion. �This is precisely the kind of success story we�re looking to repeat again and again throughout South Carolina,� said Governor Sanford. �Anytime you bring a company like Walgreens to town with this kind of job creation and capital investment it�s a significant boost to your state�s economy. Our goal is to keep putting fuel in that economic engine, so that local business folks - like the ones who played such a key role in making this process happen - have another, bigger weapon in their arsenal. That starts with reforming our tax code so that we�re more competitive as a state in bringing companies like Walgreens here � and that starts, specifically, with income tax relief that stimulates growth and improves our business climate.� Randy Lewis, Walgreens senior vice president of distribution and logistics, said, �We chose this site because of its proximity to the markets it will serve, accessibility to major highways and because of the area�s skilled workforce. We�ve also received strong participation from Anderson County and other state and local agencies, which have created a solid business environment.� �This is a huge win for South Carolina,� said Commerce Secretary Bob Faith. �But it�s not surprising that a top company such as Walgreens recognized what a great place this state is for distribution centers � we�ve got a great highway system, one of the top ports in the country, and we�re well-positioned geographically among the major markets of the east coast.� The distribution center will be equipped with the newest technology in automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS), along with sophisticated sorting and high storage rack systems. Walgreen Co. is the nation�s largest drugstore chain, with fiscal 2003 sales of $32.5 billion and 4,291 stores in 44 states and Puerto Rico. The company, which plans to open 450 new stores nationwide in fiscal 2004, also operates Walgreens Health Initiatives, which provides pharmacy benefits management, mail service prescriptions and other clinical services. (Image provided by Walgreens)
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